Ukraine-Russia latest: Zelensky pushes for EU and Nato to back his ‘victory plan’ against Putin’s forces

Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that support from Ukraine’s Western allies is key to his “victory plan” to end the country’s war with Russia, as he laid out details of the plan to European Union leaders.

The plan aims “to strengthen Ukraine” and pave the way for a diplomatic solution to end the conflict on Europe’s eastern flank, Mr Zelensky told reporters ahead of the EU summit.

“I think that this plan doesn’t depend on Russian will, only on the will of our partners,” he said.

Russia has claimed that its forces have taken control of the village of Maksymilianivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, Russian state-run news agency RIA reported.

It comes a day after Ukraine rejected Russian claims to have captured the villages of Krasnyi Yar and Nevske, insisting that its forces had repelled Russian attacks in both locations.

The UK’s involvement in European air defence and long-range missile development is a sign of the “new determination to work more closely” with continental allies, defence secretary John Healey has said.

Thousands of UK troops will be put on stand-by to deploy to Estonia’s border with Russia under a new agreement Britain has signed with the Baltic nation in another sign of the commitment to European defence, Mr Healey said at a meeting of Nato counterparts.

Arriving at Nato headquarters in Brussels, Mr Healey said: “Today, we will make the commitment to reinforce Nato’s eastern flank with a new plan alongside Estonia for our forces there.

“And we will make a commitment, a UK commitment, to bolstering the future of Europe’s defences, leading a new initiative to net together the European air defence systems and to work together with other European allies to develop long-range missiles.

“This is part of the UK’s new determination to work more closely with other European allies on security for the future, and Europe’s security is guaranteed by this Nato alliance.”

Volodymyr Zelensky is seeking to persuade EU officials and Nato members to back his “victory plan” to end Russia’s war as he attends two crucial meetings in Brussels.

The Ukrainian president will address a summit of EU leaders on Thursday before making his case to Nato defence ministers, at a meeting which marks the first time the Western military alliance has met since the Ukrainian president unveiled the five-point plan.

Mr Zelensky outlined the five-point plan to Ukraine's parliament on Wednesday without disclosing confidential elements that have been presented in private to key allies, including the United States.

Reaction was muted at Nato, however, where secretary-general Mark Rutte said only that he and the allies “take note” of it. He did not discuss when Ukraine might join the world’s biggest military alliance – one of five key points of the plan – beyond insisting that it would eventually become a member.

“The plan has many aspects and many political and military issues we really need to hammer out with the Ukrainians to understand what is behind it, to see what we can do, what we cannot do,” Mr Rutte said at Nato headquarters in Brussels.

Nato must boost its support of Ukraine in the months ahead to pressure Russia and to ensure Ukraine can prevail in the war, the UK’s defence secretary John Healey has said.

Speaking ahead of the Nato meeting in Brussels, Mr Healey told reporters: “We must do everything we can to step up our support for Ukraine in the weeks and months ahead, to put more pressure on Russia to ensure that Ukraine can prevail, because the defence of Europe starts in Ukraine.

“We owe them that duty to stand with them as long as it takes,” he said.

Latvia supports Volodymyr Zelensky’s “Victory Plan”, the country’s defence minister Andris Spruds has said.

Speaking to reporters ahead of today’s Nato meeting, Mr Spruds added that air policing by the Western military alliance over the Baltic states to the defence mission must be upgraded.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky should be able to start talks with Russia from a position of strength, Nato chief Mark Rutte has said.

“We are in this, if necessary, for the long haul,” said Mr Rutte. “Obviously we want to be in a place where Ukraine, from a position of strength, is able to start talks with Russia, but till that moment comes, he can count on continuing support.”

Mr Rutte, formerly prime minister of the Netherlands, assumed the role of Nato chief at the start of this month, taking the reins from Norwegian politician Jens Stoltenberg, who had held the position since 2014.

Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda has warned that now is the “worst moment” to start negotiations between Ukraine and Russia because Moscow currently feels it has the upper hand.

“Right now he thinks he is prevailing and pushing Ukraine into the corner. This is the worst moment to start negotiations because he feels Russia is the stronger side,” Mr Nauseda told reporters.

The Baltic nation has been a staunch ally of Ukraine since the 2022 invasion by Russia, fearing it could be a future target.

Estonia hopes to see action and next steps toward Ukraine’s Nato membership, its defence minister Hanno Pevkur has said.

“Estonia has always said that the only real security guarantee for Ukraine is Nato membership,” Mr Pevkur tol reporters ahead of a meeting with counterparts from Nato countries in Brussels.